The Ultimate Scottish Coastal Route
For most people, including me, the west coast of Scotland offers some of the most beautiful scenery in the country. And yet, for some unknown reason, there is not something like an ‘Official Coastal Route’ which would cover most roads on the Scottish west coast, to let you admire this stunning part of Scotland. It’s of course not easy, the west coast isn’t straight, it has many inland sea lochs, islands and other obstacles, making the journey a rather lengthy and time consuming yet very pleasant enterprise. If you want to make this journey along the coast you have to figure it out yourself. That’s why I travelled the entire west coast of Scotland myself and came up with my personal version of the ‘Ultimate Scottish Coastal Route’ to make your life a little easier. It’s a great alternative of the popular north coast 500 route and you can also combine this route and the north coast 500, that’s a great ride!
Related info
Scottish Weather and Climate
When is the Best Time to Visit Scotland
The Highlands 140 – Highlands Driving Tour
We all know the shortest distance between two points is a straight line. I will use Stranraer in Dumfries & Galloway as the most south-westerly tip of our journey and Durness in Sutherland as the most north-westerly point. The distance between Stranraer and Durness, as the crow flies, is 254 miles (355 kms). To travel this distance over the shortest route by car via Glasgow, Perth and Inverness is 356 miles (573 kms), roughly a 8 hour drive.
Culzean Castle and Country Park in Ayrshire
And then there is the Ultimate Scottish Coastal Route as I like to call it, covering almost every road on the Scottish west coast, including three islands, from Stranraer to Durness via the Isle of Arran, the Isle of Mull and Isle of Skye. That particular route, my personal choice, is 549 miles (884kms) long with a total road travel time of 20 hours, which is calculated by navigation software. As I have not counted in the time you spend on the various ferry crossings, five in total, and the time you need to rest and sleep, this journey will take you roughly four to seven days to complete. (See link to detailed map at bottom of post)
There are many accommodation opportunities along the way, from campsites to Bed and Breakfasts and Excellent Hotels. This journey is also suitable to travel with a motorhome. For a motorhome itinerary and campsite tips visit this page. Below I will explain in detail which logical stages make up this best Scottish driving tour.
Stranraer to Oban
The first stage starts at Stranraer in Dumfries and Galloway. The A77 north follows the beautiful Ayrshire coast and as you pass the beautiful Culzean Castle and Country Park you head north to Ardrossan to take the ferry to the Isle of Arran. From Brodick on Arran you can follow the north coast over the A841 to Lochranza and take the wee Calmac ferry to Claonaig in Kintyre. From there you can follow the A83 to Lochgilphead and the A816 to Oban. The journey over the road is 166 miles (267kms) and is approx 6h 15 min. As there are two ferry crossings it’s very unlikely to make this stage in one day.
The Silver Sands of Morar near Mallaig
Oban to Mallaig via Mull and Ardnamurchan
In Oban take the ferry to Craignure on the Isle of Mull. Close by is the beautiful Duart Castle. 5 miles further down the road to Tobermory there is another ferry crossing awaiting you, the one from Fishnish to Lochaline in Morvern crossing the Sound of Mull. From Lochaline to Mallaig it’s a 2 hour drive through some spectacular scenery via Strontian, the Moydart peninsula and Arisaig which nearby beaches at Morar were featured in the movie Local Hero. This stage is only 86 miles (138km) and the total travel time over the road some 4 hours, but with two ferry crossings it’s more realistic to use two days for this stage.
Mallaig to Shieldaig over Applecross
This stage will take you over one of the most challenging roads in Scotland, the Pass of the Cattle to Applecross. In Mallaig, where this route overlaps our Highlands 140 Driving Route, take the ferry to Armadale on the Isle of Skye and drive north over the A851. Then head east over the A87 and cross the Skye Bridge at Kyle of Lochalsh. Keep driving east and take the A890 to Lochcarron. From here head west in the direction of Shieldaig and then follow the signs to Applecross. This is actually the place where our coastal route joins the north coast 500 route.
From Applecross take the coastal road north along the Inner Sound where you have amazing views over Raasay and Skye until you head east and follow the shore of Loch Torridon until you reach Shieldaig. This stage is 110 miles (177kms) and 4 hours travel time over the road. As you have another ferry crossing in this section it is realistic to use one day for this stage.
Shieldaig to Durness
This is the only stage without a ferry crossing and the stretch to Durness also covers a part of the north coast 500 route. It offers amazing scenery as you travel through Wester Ross and the far north-west of Scotland. Spectacular mountain scenery and breathtaking views over the sea are yours in what is probably the most beautiful part of Scotland. It all starts at Glen Torridon which you follow until Kinlochewe. From there head west along the shore of stunning Loch Maree to Gairloch, the pretty and rather touristic village with its many restaurants and shops. From Gairloch keep heading north along the dramatic coastline until you reach Ullapool, the pearl of the north. From Ullapool the scenery changes with the mountain formations becoming ever more breathtaking. Head west following the signs to Lochinver, a nice fishing town, and continue on the single track road until you reach the A894 and head north. From here it’s one beautiful road all the way to Durness, the end of the Ultimate Scottish Coastal Route. This stage is 187 miles (300kms) with a total road time of around six and best enjoyed if you do it in two days to have plenty of time to properly enjoy the stunning scenery.
Visiting Cape Wrath
When you’ve arrived in Durness you might want to visit Cape Wrath, the most north-westerly tip of the Scottish Mainland. Before Durness at Keoldale Pier is the Cape Wrath Ferry, foot passengers only, over the Kyle of Durness. This crossing takes approx 15 mins. On the other side is a minibus waiting for you which can bring you in approx 50 minutes to Cape Wrath Lighthouse. Total round trip is 3 hours. The Cape Wrath Ferry Service runs 7 days per week May to September. Tel. 01971 511246 or email [email protected]
Ferry and Fuel Costs
- Ardrossan to Brodick (Isle of Arran) – £54.50
- Lochranza to Claonaig (Kintyre) – £39.30
- Oban to Craignure (Isle of Mull) – £51.10
- Fishnish to Lochaline (Morvern) – £21.05
- Mallaig to Armadale (Isle of Skye) – £33.20
Interesting Detours:
- From Stranraer to the lighthouse at the Mull of Galloway – 36 mile (58 kms) roundtrip
- Circular tour over Kintyre Peninsula from Claonaig via Campbeltown to Tarbert – 70 miles (113 kms)
- Knapdale circular tour via Kilberry from Tarbert – 36 mile (58 kms)
- Instead of the A835 and A837 north to Lochinver take the single track road from Drumrunie to Lochinver and save 6 miles.
- Halfway between Lochinver and Durness is a turning to the west coast, to Tarbet, where you can get a small passenger ferry to the Isle of Handa, a stunning nature reserve.
More useful links
Sounds lovely! Are the times quoted actual proven real-world driving times, or are these Google Maps estimates? For instance, is the last leg from Shieldaig to Durness really 5 hours (excluding stops) allowing for fair-weather road conditions, typical traffic, and cattle, etc?
Hi Jon, I have done this journey myself and everything is based on what I’ve experienced myself. For me, the 5hrs+ from Shieldaig to Durness are actual driving hours and they do not include stops, taking pictures, sight seeing, overnight camping etc. That’s why I wrote that you would ideally need two days to fully take in the landscape and the villages, which is something I would very much recommend. I hope this answers your question!
It does, thank you!
This tour looks like a terrific trip. I have a quick question about your site, why is there nothing about Aberdeen and the Northeast of Scotland? Did it all fall into the North Sea? There are many castles, gardens, stone circles, and cute towns and villages. And the third largest city in Scotland is ignored while Perth and some others are included?
Good point Marjory, the section about the north-east is somewhat thinner than the one of the West coast, which is where I live. The site started off with a focus on the west of Scotland but we now aim to focus on the entire country. As it’s a work in progress there will be more info on the Northeast as well, including Aberdeen. 🙂
Hi Marjory, as promised… Our new page of Aberdeen is now ready 🙂
How frequent are the ferry crossings for this trip to the Isle of Arran, the Calmac ferry & Obain to Mallaig? Any need to pre book for May?
Please check Calmac Timetables here https://www.calmac.co.uk. Most routes have several crossings per day and booking in advance is advised 🙂
Would traveling the last week of May and the first week of June require booking B&B’s in advance or is same day booking likely?
It depends a bit on where you are and how many B&B’s there are. It’s always a choice between the freedom of deciding at the last minute where to sleep, with running a risk of searching longer than you had anticipated, or to book in advance and know where you sleep that night. I always choose the latter for what it’s worth 🙂
Hi all
As a new motorcycle rider ok am planing a trip to cover the outline of Scotland main land on a motorbike starting at Glasgow airport then over bridge to Dumbarton down West side to oban , cambeltown then up West side over the top down East coast round the borders over Dumfries and Galloway back up an
Ayrshire round by largs free-kick back to start point
This is what I am going to do ,when I seen this it made me want it more Thank you on my mind
Hope you all enjoy you trip
take it easy take it slow count to five and a away you go
Enjoy,
First short trip Rannock moor over the top
And the resting place of Glen Coe
It’s not just mountains ,you will feel it
John
From
Glasgow
A very informative guide and just what we needed to spur us to deciding on this trip later in the year. Just one question….. is there any problem with mosquitoes?
SAJ
Thanks! You might run into midges here and there, depending on the season and weather conditions. The wee buggers don’t like wind and daylight but usually come out on quiet evenings/mornings. We have a good page about midges and How to avoid them 🙂
Looks like a good route. Do you have a .gpx file of it? Google automatically shows me the most direct and won’t be persuaded to show your route
There’s a link to the route on Google Maps at the bottom of the page 🙂
Came across this route when we were planning our Scotland road trip and we thought this appeared to be the best route we had found, and it proved to be a great find. We followed this route over a couple of weeks in May 2017. We were lucky with the weather but what a fantastic route. I like planning these trips but would never have neen able to plan this route especially with the island hopping. The beauty is you never retrace you route and always following new roads or new ferry routes. Also ferries much cheaper than stated due to subsidised fares. Found some great b&b,s and hotels by this route. Fantastic holiday on the fantastic route. Thank you
Please continue to Dumfries via Glen Luce, Port William, Isle of Whithorn, Wigtown, Newton Stewart, Gatehouse, Kirkcudbright, New Abbey & etc – then you will have done the complete west coast and not missed some lovely bits
On your website page about the west coast driving route it says:
There are many accommodation opportunities along the way, from campsites to Bed and Breakfasts and Excellent Hotels. This journey is also suitable to travel with a motorhome. For a motorhome itinerary and campsite tips visit this page. Below I will explain in detail which logical stages make up this best Scottish driving tour.
BUT in the second to last sentence, where it says: … ‘campsite tips visit this page’ …
The ‘visit this page’ link dies not work!
Hi Jackie, thanks so much for the heads-up. Turned out more links on this page were going nowhere… Everything is back to normal 🙂
Hi, the link to the map works as it takes you to google maps, but, it defaults to the shortest journey between the two points, is there any way round this?
That’s indeed the default way for Google. I just dragged parts of the route to what I really drove, not what Google suggested 🙂
Wish you had printed this some years ago, although in all fairness, in those days we were as much interested in walking as sightseeing. Stayed at Ballachulish for about 10 years, but on the last stay I was in a wheelchair, and little to inspire us. Now, after a break of 15 years, we are ready to come back. We have booked accommodation near Lochaline, a chance to explore Oban and Mull more thoroughly, but also the beautiful Ardamurchan area. In a wheelchair, you learn to sit and enjoy what you see, and even on the coast of Devon, you can’t beat the air quality of the area. I tire quickly, but we can do excursions on alternate days furthe afield. Any tips, please, on things not to miss, especially off the usual tourist route?
I wouldn’t recommend taking a large campervan over the Bealach nam Bo..6
Hi
Is all of this route suitable for a Motorhome
Hi Carl, I did this myself in a motorhome, an average sized one. I would not really recommend some parts to inexperienced drivers though but most parts are fine!
Hi
Love the look of this route and planning on doing it this year over the summer, what are your thoughts about doing a more direct drive to Durness from Durham, then doing the route in reverse?
Hi Christine, it’s a stunning route to drive, you won’t regret it. And I don’t think there is one bit of difference in driving it the other way round ?
I’m inspired… 10 days booked off work late August 2020 and will pack the RT1150 up and try and wild camp the trip – all tips and advice most welcome
Hi
This is just what I’m looking for. I would like to do this trip with my toy poodle. Do you know if the hotels and B&Bs accommodated dogs and can dogs travel on all the ferries?
Thank you
Sharon
Hi Sharon, dogs can travel on the ferries without problems, there usually is a special area on the ferries for folk with dogs! Not all accommodations take pets, best to check in advance 🙂
Well – just returned…
I tried the suggested trip, but due to Covid19 all the ferries were booked up a week in advance. I did not feel I could get on any ferry just in case the other dependency ferries were already booked. I feel just at this time the “just turn up and we’ll squeeze a bike on” days are behind us. My first day took me from Manchester to Stranraer , but after finding out about the ferries I ended up by Loch Lomond which was a huge detour and a very long day in the saddle. I carried on and did the standard North Coast 500. Again due to the Pandemic it seems Scotland was very very busy but none of the attractions were open so it was just push on day after day.
so that in 5 days I covered 1800 miles
I have some leave booked from work, but only 5 days between shifts at my 2nd job… Wondering what you’d say is an unmissable stretch of the route that might be achievable in that time…?
Not sure where you live but the North-west, starting at Applecross, is particularly beautiful 🙂